


We'll need to stockpile gaffatape...

by aljohnson



Series: YACI - Bonus Material [4]
Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, COVID-19, F/M, Fluff, Pandemics, wash your hands!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:13:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23159107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aljohnson/pseuds/aljohnson
Summary: In which Covid-19 has arrived in Australia...A story in the YACI-verse, my Modern set Miss Fisher world.
Relationships: Phryne Fisher & Jack Robinson, Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson
Series: YACI - Bonus Material [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/400393
Comments: 19
Kudos: 86





	We'll need to stockpile gaffatape...

“Miss Fisher” Jack stood up behind his desk, placing his pen on the blotter in front of him. His hand twitched as he suppressed the urge to offer his hand. 

“Jack” smouldered Phryne, pushing the door to behind her, leaning against it briefly, allowing it to support her. Propelling herself into the room proper, Phryne began to remove her coat, stalking towards Jack as she did.

“Ah, ah, ah, Miss Fisher. Behind the line if you please” Jack placed his fingers together, reaching out to indicate the line of gaffa tape on the floor which stretched from wall to wall. 

Phryne pouted in protest, “But Jack, if I stay behind the line, we’ll be ever so far apart – how will we be able to consult effectively?”

“I’m perfectly capable of being effective at a distance, thank you Miss Fisher” replied Jack, thrusting his hands into his trouser pockets. 

Phryne quickly shifted her gaze from Jack’s face to his crotch and back again, as she took a seat in the chair which had been moved into a new position. No longer directly in front of the desk where it usually was, it had been moved back behind the imperfectly, and, she suspected, hastily installed line of tape. “These rules are silly. And honestly Jack, when did you telling me to stay behind a line ever actually work?”

Jack considered his response, moving around to the front of his desk, leaning against it as if in deep contemplation. “Well there was that one time, at the kindy sports day…”

“You told me I had to demonstrate a responsible attitude. I decided I agreed.”

“You stepped back to flirt with the classroom assistant. All the kindy kids have to learn to play fair, and it doesn’t help if one of the parents,” Jack waved his hand towards Phryne, “if one of the parents is very obviously trying to gain an unfair advantage.”

“Well whilst men make all the rules, women will continue to learn how to break them, to their best advantage,” purred Phryne, adjusting herself so as to be balanced on the front edge of the seat. “And I’m not sure an egg and spoon race is an activity that teaches kids to do anything other than suppress their natural inclination towards running around to burn off the endless amounts of energy they have. How far is this line from your desk?”

“One metre, as advised.”

“Measured from?”

“Hmm? Oh, Hugh says in a line running parallel with the front of the desk.” Jack paused. “Actually,” he continued, adjusting himself so he was supporting more of his own weight, “I believe, in fact, that he might have been overly generous with his tape measure.”

“So, you’re saying there might be some, wriggle room?” Phryne shifted onto the arm of the chair, hooking her foot around the bottom of the wooden leg. “You know, you’re very tall Jack…” 

“And you, Miss Fisher, enjoy breaking the rules far too much.” It would have been barely perceptible to most people, but Phryne noticed immediately as Jack’s weight shifted onto his front leg. 

“Bending, Jack. Bending the rules. Most of which, as I say, are stupid.”

“Phryne! Please! These rules are for everyone’s safety.” Jack’s brow furrowed as he noticed Phryne slowly beginning to lean in towards him. 

“Honestly, Jack. I’m not sure it’s possible to socially distance yourself from someone you live with. And you must be worried, calling me Phryne at work – even if everyone else on this floor is working from home already, and therefore can’t hear your appalling breach of, well, whatever policy it is that requires you to address me formally.”

“My apologies for the familiarity, _Miss Fisher_.” Jack threw a smouldering look towards Phryne, who was extending herself in the manner of a cat trying to breach a gap just slightly too large for it. “And how did you get in here? Have you stolen an access pass? Again?”

“Why aren’t you working from home Jack? I am.” Phryne studiously ignored the question; Jack would be almost disappointed if he knew she’d charmed the new Constable on the front desk into furnishing her with yet another visitor’s pass. 

“Too many distractions, Miss Fisher. Much easier to get on here.”

“Well you could _get off_ at home, Inspector.” Phryne was within inches of Jack now, almost able to touch his tie. 

Jack’s fingers rubbed against each other in small circles. “You are the most maddening, infuriating…” His tie being pulled drew him to her, and he found he was pressing his lips to hers before he even realised it. It was an automatic action now, muscle memory, after all these years, but exhilarating every time. Eventually, they broke apart.

Casting a glance over her shoulder, before turning back and looking behind Jack, she assessed their respective stances. “Well look at that, Jack: we’re still technically a meter apart, and yet close enough to do this.” She pulled him to her, kissing him once more. Oh, she did adore kissing Jack, especially at moments like this, when it was technically not allowed. She did so enjoy getting Jack to break the rules. 

Jack came to his senses, breaking the kiss. “Miss Fisher! This is the sort of activity which leads to me getting into a lot of trouble!”

“Oh, what nonsense Jack. But I know you’re a stickler for the rules.” She unwrapped herself from him, neatly stepping back behind the line on the floor. 

Jack adjusted his tie, as he stepped back around to the far side of his desk. He also adjusted the framed photo that had been knocked out of place, smiling at the grinning faces looking back at him. “Why are you here, Phryne? It surely can’t _just_ be to get me in trouble?” 

Phryne sat in the chair, demurely crossing her legs. “Oh, no reason,” she offered, waving a hand nonchalantly. 

“Your voice just went high pitched.” Jack settled in his chair, folding his arms across his stomach, interlacing the fingers of his hands. “’Fess up, and I’ll be lenient.”

“Maybe I don’t want you to be lenient Jack, did you ever consider that?”

“Phryne, please.” Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“I just… I just wanted to see you, that’s all Jack. The world appears to be going to hell in a handcart. After the droughts, and the floods, and the bushfires, and now this _Beer Flu’s_ been declared a pandemic, and I know I’m undefeatable Jack, but I don’t know, it just all seems too much.”

“I know it does Phryne, I know it does. You wouldn’t believe some of the calls our switchboard is getting. And I know you Phryne, and the Google Calendar tells me just how many events you’re supposed to go to these next few weeks. But I hate to tell you, you’re probably going to have to come to terms with helping with bedtime and reading a book to amuse yourself. I have a very good Zane Grey.”

“I think almost everything has been cancelled. I could ramp up the subscriptions? Add Amazon Prime to Stan and Netflix.”

“You could do that, you could.”

“Whilst we maintain a safe distance at opposite ends of the sofa. It’s not fair Jack!”

“Phryne, come here” Jack reached his arm out, offering his hand towards Phryne. She sat up from the chair, and moved over towards him. “Closer” he beckoned with his fingers, indicating she should move around to his side of the desk. 

“Jack Robinson, are you breaking the rules?”

“It’s all your fault. You’ve led me astray Miss Fisher.” Jack pulled Phryne onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her. They fell silent for a few moments, enjoying the quiet of Jack’s office. 

“Does it bother you? That you do the heavy lifting at bedtime?” She was a terrible mother, she thought, with absolutely no idea what she was supposed to be doing most of the time. She found parenthood to be a bewildering experience, not helped by the distinctly lacking communication skills of her offspring. There were still years to go until she’d be able to get a clear, reasoned response to any question she asked. 

“Not at all. It’s within my skill set. You’re much better at playing dressing up. Apparently.” She was an amazing mother, Jack thought. He had no idea what he was supposed to be doing most of the time, but she just seemed to have so much empathy: such an amazing ability to know what questions to ask, and how to ask them. That said, he acknowledged that he was much better at doing the voices in the story books, and had much more patience for the excuses offered against going to sleep. 

“Jack, you could be ill. I could be ill.” She was so worried. She’d got nothing done at home these last few days. 

“In sickness and in health, Phryne. And after that cinema trip at the weekend, we’ve either already been infected, or, somehow, we’re fine. I’m hoping for the latter, obviously.” He kissed Phryne’s temple, adjusting his shoulders as she wrapped her arms around him. 

“I’m worried about Aunt P. And Arthur.”

“I know you are. You’ll just have to Facetime them for a few weeks.”

“I just want all this to be over Jack. This is not the type of Interesting I want to live through.”

“I know you are undefeatable, Phryne Fisher, and wholly and entirely capable of taking care of yourself, but I will also protect you, and our family, to the best of my ability.” He paused. “And if I die there’s a really very good death in service benefit.” He felt her whack him lightly on the shoulder.

“I love you Jack Robinson. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Phryne gripped him more tightly. 

“And I love you Phryne Fisher. And I fully expect that you’ll be causing me trouble when we’re both ninety-five.” He held her as she nuzzled against his neck. Social distancing be damned, he thought. If you were lucky enough to have a woman like Phryne Fisher in your life, you took your chances, and held her close and tight.

**Author's Note:**

> Remember, dear reader - Phryne and Jack are fictional characters, and they can therefore get away with breaking the rules! You should not.
> 
> General advice is available from the front page of the WHO website: who.int
> 
> You should also follow your government / state's advice about how to act.  
> Please consider self-isolating, if you are able to do so.  
> And very definitely, WASH YOUR HANDS!
> 
> Take care of yourselves, and each other.


End file.
